


misunderstandings of known statistics

by entanglement



Category: Fargo (2014)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-25
Updated: 2014-05-25
Packaged: 2018-01-26 10:44:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1685492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/entanglement/pseuds/entanglement
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>mr. numbers learns sign language and other things happen as well</p>
            </blockquote>





	misunderstandings of known statistics

**Author's Note:**

> wow this is a lot of fluff but im not a writer i just dropped my computer and this randomly typed itself out  
> for my best pal jesse who i offer this fanfic to in these trying times

The first sign Mr. Numbers learns is "wrench". 

They're slowing inching their way through the line at a fast food drive thru in Iowa when Numbers taps Wrench on the shoulder to pull his attention away from the rattling muffler on the station wagon in front of him. He can't hear the rattling, but the rusty piece of metal looks like it's seconds from dropping off. Wrench looks like's in the same shape after beating the shit out of a guy in Cedar Rapids who tried to shake the debt from multiple loans from Fargo, but they weren't expecting was to be expected and their mark to have prepared for their arrival with a few Wrench-like minions of his own. When Wrench finally turns around, Numbers can see the reddish purple edges of a black eye outside of what Wrench's sunglasses can cover, but the job is done and their employers will be pleased.

"What's your name anyway?" Numbers asks.

Numbers knows the guy can mostly read lips, but in place of any attempt at a response, he gets that tough guy once over that Wrench probably gives someone before he crushes their skull. They're still strangers even after the nearly 8 hours they've spent in a car with each other, so Numbers compromises and carefully forms _R - E - A - L - N - A - M - E_ in awkward fingerspelling, but he receives _W - R - E - N - C - H_ , slowly spelled back to him like he's a fucking moron.

"Come on, man. I know we're supposed to do the code name stuff, but I wanna know the name of the guy I'm working with," Numbers says, but Wrench looks off halfway through the sentence and misses the second half. After a moment of thought and another suspicious look at Numbers, he finally decides to compromise as well and turns back to spell out _H - I - R - A - M_.

"No wonder you like the nickname. Wrench it is," Numbers says. A small chuckle escapes him and Wrench mirrors in just a soft hissing laugh that Numbers can't help but find oddly endearing. He gestures to himself, points out his left index finger and pinches it with his right's index and middle and then gives it two slight turns. Numbers mocks it a few times to commit it to memory and Wrench's hard glare on him finally starts to soften.

\--

Seven months, 16 successfully completed jobs and about 14,000 miles later, Numbers learns the sign for "kiss". As in that thing Wrench insists they discuss.

They're pulled over on one of those interstates out west that stretch on to nothingness for miles to catch an hour or two of sleep before finishing their trek back to Fargo. It's late (or early) and the sun isn't up, but there's the hint of a glow on the horizon out in the desert in front of them and by that dim light, Wrench is teaching Numbers a few more signs before they drift off. It's places vocab: City. County. Library. Bank. Hospital. _I'm bored. Tired. Mostly bored_ , Numbers signs lazily before sleep droops his eyes shut and his head forward and oh, that's Wrench's shoulder his head just touched. The car is so cramped that it's not too far of a stretch that even a slight lean would lead him here, but Wrench doesn't shove him away. Numbers' eyes open again and the other man is closer. Moving too. The first touch startles Numbers slightly, but he soon accepts the soft kiss Wrench carefully places on his lips and allows him to eagerly seek a few more after that before sleep finally overtakes them.

He's curled up on the other side of the car and his face is crushed up against the window when he wakes again. The sun unfortunately decided to rise again and Numbers has to rub at his eyes a few times to make them adjust before he sees that Wrench is staring at him with a deep look of concentration on his face.

 _We need to talk_ , Wrench signs and Numbers only offers him a groggy, confused look. _About the kiss_ , Wrench continues. Numbers doesn't recognize that last sign, two closed O shapes with fingertips pressed together just once, but he realizes what it is when he glances up and sees Wrench's lips are pursed as he repeats the sign. 

"Jesus christ. No, we don't. I don't-," Numbers begins before finishing with his hands, _I don't think there's anything to discuss. We were just tired. Drop it._

 _I kissed you. You kissed back_ , Wrench signs, wearing an expression that looks a lot more like a wounded puppy than a guy that knocked someone out cold with a single punch a day ago. There's that sign again, though. Kiss. Numbers feels like a teenage girl looking at Wrench's pursed lips, so he starts up the car and pulls onto the empty road so he can keep his eyes ahead and off his partner.

\--

Just one month after the kiss they're still not allowed to talk about, Numbers remembers the sign for "hospital" when Wrench is signing it at him from the passenger seat after charging into their target's sporadic gunfire. The target was a bad shot, but Numbers certainly wasn't.

"What's the sign for workaholic? Fuck. You probably made it worse carrying that guy to the trunk," Numbers spits, not even bothering to turn his head to let Wrench see his lips. It's not like he's looking anyway because he's too busy trying to pull his shirt collar back to see the jagged wound on his shoulder.

A sign along the highway for a hospital guides them to a tiny ER where the nurse's mouth gapes when she hears it's a gunshot wound. Even though the hitmen insist it was just a little accident, she goes on and on about crime in this area and how bad it's gotten as she stitches together the torn edges of skin. Wrench grimaces the entire time. 

_Stop being a baby_ , Numbers signs. He's still angry, but not too angry to properly communicate.

 _I'm not in pain_ , Wrench signs. He glances towards the nurse at his side and cringes when she starts to clean the stitched wound. She's still chattering away despite the conversation between the two men. _Can you please tell this woman her breath fucking reeks? I'm gonna puke._

Numbers chokes on his own unexpected laugh and Wrench hisses out his, leaving the nurse and everyone else in the ER locked out of the private universe slowly developing around them. Once they're completely alone, the silence around that kiss can't really last too much longer.

\--

3 years, 4 months and whole lot of jobs and miles later, Numbers already knows the sign for "Goodnight", but it's still far more memorable than the other times his hands have formed it.

Fargo doesn't seem to mind two of its employees having some sort of relationship, so Wrench's move into Numbers' apartment happens without any protest. It's not like they'll ever receive a blessing, but a lack of a blessing is actually a blessing in their line of work and silence is always a good sign. Numbers still frets in the same quiet, nervous way he always does, but Wrench assures him it'll last. They don't get long to make sure of that, though, because another job assignment tomorrow will put them just over the border into Minnesota.

 _I've never lived with someone I'm with_ , Numbers signs once they've settled into bed together. His expression intensifies on the last word and it makes Wrench hiss with laughter.

 _Neither have I_ , Wrench replies with a shrug. He always has a way of almost ignoring Numbers' neuroticism and Numbers almost twitches with anger every time it happens. As usual, Wrench just puts on his usual big, goofy grin and signs, _Wanna fuck?_

Numbers narrows his eyes at that and starts to sign, _Goodnight_ , but he only gets halfway through the movement before Wrench catches his hands and pulls him in closer.


End file.
